Winter Session of Parliament to start from December 7

The Winter Session of Parliament will be held between December 7 and 29 with the BJP-led government and the Congress-led Opposition all set to lock horns again on a variety of issues, including price rise and unemployment.

The session will start a day before the counting of votes in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections and results will set the tone for the 17 sittings spread over 23 days that will conclude just before the new year.

The BJP is expecting to return to power in both Himachal and Gujarat while the Congress is expecting to wrest at least Himachal and put up an improved show in Gujarat. Also, on December 7, the Delhi municipal poll results will be out with both BJP and AAP vying for victory.

Price rise, unemployment and the general economic situation are likely to be the key themes for the Opposition, which is emboldened by the entry of JD(U) into its fold. This is the first Parliament session after Nitish Kumar broke ties with the NDA in Bihar to return to Maha Gadbandhan and form a government with RJD and Congress.

This would also mean that there will be a spotlight on Harivansh, a JD(U) MP who still remains the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which he won with the support of the NDA. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar will also be presiding over Rajya Sabha proceedings as Chairman for the first time after he was sworn in.

Asked about the Winter Session, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien told DH, "Nowadays, sadly, a Parliament session is the interval between elections and PM Narendra Modi’s PR exercises."

For the Congress, the focus is still on the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra. Congress benches are likely to be depleted as Rahul and senior leaders like Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Digvijaya Singh would be skipping the session to be part of the party programme.

It is also to be seen whether the Congress will name a new Leader of Opposition in place of newly-elected party president Mallikarjun Kharge. However, the party appears in no hurry to find a replacement though Kharge is keen to set an example by himself by adhering to ‘one man, one post’ policy.

Besides other issues, Congress is likely to raise the Supreme Court freeing six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Several parties are also getting ready to raise the issue of Governors creating trouble for Opposition-ruled states. The CPI(M), DMK and TRS have already raised the issue in public.

The TRS will also be aggressive in Parliament during the session, strengthening the Opposition benches. Similarly, a better show in Gujarat Assembly and Delhi municipal elections will also help AAP raise its decibel levels.